INTRO.- ILL.- Someone said, "Life is unfair. I lost my car keys at a ball game and never found them. I lost my sunglasses at the beach and never found them. I lost my socks in the washing machine and never found them. I lost three pounds on a diet -- I found them and five more." Life does seem somewhat unfair at times but it’s far worse than gaining weight.
Job 14:1 “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” Trouble in this life is not a respecter of persons. It hits us all, but not all are overcomers. There are a few rare souls, however, that seem to experience extra-ordinary victory in life and over life’s troubles.
ILL.- Enter Lance Armstrong, Tour de France winner. He did something that no one else has done or will likely do in the years ahead. He beat cancer and won the Tour de France cycling event 7 straight years in a row.
"To me, just finishing the Tour de France is a demonstration of survival," Armstrong once wrote.
Armstrong, 33, underwent two surgical operations and four bouts of chemotherapy in an agonizing battle against cancer, which spread to his lungs and brain. Amazingly, he came back to win 7 straight Tour de France races. He is definitely an overcomer! It’s just a shame that he isn’t a Christian.
ILL.- Here’s another example of an overcomer in life. Robert was physically handicapped. He was a spastic and confined to a wheelchair. His speech was so slurred that he was difficult to understand. But he was a student at a university and highly admired and appreciated because of his great attitude.
Robert couldn’t pull himself forward in his wheelchair, so if no one was around to push him, Robert just pushed himself backward with his feet while looking over his shoulder to see where he was going.
One day Robert came to close to the edge of some stairs in the administration building. Robert, wheelchair, books and all went crashing down the stairs. The wheelchair rolled off by itself down the hall. Robert ended up sprawled out on the floor but unhurt. Several concerned students rushed over to help him. From his rather undignified position, he looked up, laughed out loud and said, “Let me teach you how to dance!”
Robert was a Christian and wanted to share the message of Christ with others. One Sunday he spoke to an audience of over a thousand at a church. He struggled hard to speak plainly. Few people in that audience understood his message, but no one missed the message of the love of God that he communicated.
Robert eventually realized his dream of sharing the message of Christ and went with a group of missionaries overseas. He had them put posters on the sides of his wheelchair and park him on a busy downtown street corner. There he sat all day handing out gospel tracts to people. Robert was an overcomer his spite of the circumstances of his life.
Brothers and sisters, instead of taking life easy, we should do something! The way to overcome the obstacles of life is not to sit safely in a pew, but to do something!
ILL.- Marshal Foch of France spoke these words at one of the most critical moments of WWI. He said, “My right has been beaten back. My left is in peril. My center is wavering. THE SITUATION IS IDEAL. I ATTACK.”
The enemy expects us to do little or nothing, but in order to accomplish much in this life and be an overcomer we must attack that which is against us and hold high the banner of Christ!
PROP.- Paul’s message in Colossians chapter 4 gives us some insight and/or instruction as to how to be an overcomer in this life and over life’s obstacles.
I. PRAY MUCH
Col. 4:2-3 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message…” We must devote ourselves to prayer, to all kinds of prayer. We can’t “hit and miss” if we expect to be overcomers. We must be “regular” customers if we intend to get waited on.
ILL.- Three preachers sat discussing the best positions for prayer while a telephone repairman worked nearby. "Kneeling is definitely best," claimed one.
"No," another contended. "I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven."
"You’re both wrong," the third insisted. "The most effective prayer position is lying prostrate, face down on the floor."
The repairman could contain himself no longer. "Hey, fellas, " he interrupted, "the best prayin’ I ever did was hangin’ upside down from a telephone pole."
That repairman prayed “on the job” and it wasn’t easy. Of course, he probably prayed from that telephone pole because he was scared. Sometimes it pays to be frightened enough to pray. Hopefully, he prayed “off” the job as well.
Brothers and sisters, the best position for praying is any kind of position, as long as we pray sincerely.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. We must be watchful while praying. What does that mean? We need to be watching what is going on around us and in the world and praying about it. The ongoing war in Iraq, world terrorism, ungodliness, etc.
We must not be blind to what is happening in our world. We must be alert and praying about these things. We must be praying about what is going on around us, locally, individually, family-wise, and church-wise. If we want God’s blessing on anything, we must pray!
We must be thankful. We can’t praise the Lord enough in prayer. Any blessing we see, we should praise him or thank him for it. Praise should be habitual and it is helpful. It puts us in good standing with our Father. My children always please me when they say things like, “Dad, I love you. Thank you for…” whatever it is.
If we want to experience any kind of victory in life we must be a people of prayer!
ILL.- I have read that the early African converts to Christianity were very faithful in their praying. Each one had a separate spot in a wooden thicket where they would pour out their hearts in prayer to God. And over a long time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of the believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent brother, "Brother, the grass grows on your path."
How about your path? Is the grass is growing on your path (wherever that path is), then you are not praying enough and you will not experience victory in this life and over life’s obstacles!
II Thess. 3:1-3 “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
ILL.- The story is told that preacher D.L. Moody once entered a tavern in order to ask the bartender if his two little girls might attend his Sunday School.
Moody was told that an atheist club met there every Thursday night and the owner of the bar was in no mood to offend them.
Moody looked into the face of this man and pleaded with him on behalf of his girls. Finally the man’s heart was somewhat touched and he said, “Preacher, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. If you’ll come down here Thursday night and meet with the boys in a joint discussion, and win, you shall have the children. But if not, it’s all off!”
“Agreed,” said Moody. Moody went right out and looked up a crippled newsboy who really knew how to pray and said to him, “Tommy, I need you next Thursday night!”
When the hour of the meeting arrived, Tommy and the evangelist entered the saloon. It was full of men sitting on whiskey barrels, beer kegs, and even on the bar—eagerly awaiting the coming debate.
Moody began by saying, "Gentlemen, it’s our custom to open our meeting with prayer. Tommy, jump up on that barrel and lead us in prayer.”
Tommy began prayed for the souls of those men. As the tears began to roll down the little fellow’s cheeks, the more tenderhearted of the men beat a retreat. Finally, even the hardest men present began to leave until there was no one left except the bartender, Moody and the praying boy.
Moody turned to the father and said, “I claim your girls for my Sunday school!” The bartender answered, “All right, you win. But it’s a queer way to fight!” And Moody answered, “It’s the way I win many a battle.”
Brothers and sisters, the way to win our battles/struggles in life is through prayer, much prayer, heartfelt prayer, praising prayer, fervent prayer.
II. PROCLAIM CLEARLY
Col. 4:3-4 “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”
We need to pray that God’s message about Christ will be proclaimed clearly and that God will open doors for the message. If we are going to experience victory in life we must proclaim Christ! God blesses his people who are willing to proclaim His gospel.
ILL.- Billy Graham tells about a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, "If you’ll come to the Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to Heaven."
"I don’t think I’ll be there," the boy said. "You don’t even know your way to the post office."
Some people who claim Christ don’t know the way. That is, they don’t know how to point people to Christ and to heaven. We may have heard the message all our lives but we still don’t know what to say to people.
Clear preaching is vitally important. I try hard to make my message as clear as possible. Not many people misunderstand what I say. But clear preaching is not just a matter of the pulpit. Clear witnessing is also important.
Often, people know little about what we believe. Why? Several reasons and here’s one.
ILL.- One man said to his neighbor, “Why don’t you come and play golf with me on Sunday morning?” The second neighbor said, “Oh, I couldn’t do that. I have to go to church on Sunday.” The first neighbor said, “Well, I don’t know what your religion is or your church is, but you can keep it to yourself. I have asked you to play golf with me a half dozen times but you have never invited me to your church.” IS THAT US? Is that you?
Sometimes we are too shut mouth when it comes to our faith and our church!
ILL.- I remember well the national news during the LA riots in 1992 after the Rodney King beating trial. During all that rioting one of the major TV networks interviewed a black lady on the street and asked her what she thought.
She said, “What’s the matter with all these crazy people? Don’t they believe in Jesus?” She was right. If all those people truly believed in Jesus Christ they wouldn’t have been rioting. LA and the rest of the world would be a different place.
Proclaim the message clearly. When people ask you about your faith or religion tell them that you believe Jesus is God’s Son and the Savior of the world! You can’t get much clearer than that. Then, if they are interested, perhaps the conversation will continue and you can tell them more about Christ and His church.
ILL.- A woman of many years ago was devoted to Christ. She adopted a rather peculiar method of witnessing. She would stand before a wooden Indian in front of a cigar store and talk to it about Christ.
Her friends thought she was crazy, but she defended herself by saying, “I would rather be a real Christian and talk to a wooden Indian about Christ than a wooden Christian who never talked to anyone about Christ.” What about us? If we want victory in life we must proclaim Christ.
Matt. 6:33 “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”
I heard it said a long time ago that when we put God’s business first in our lives (such as proclaiming the gospel, witnessing, missions, etc.) that’s when He will take care of us. That means provision and protection.
If we want victory over life’s troubles we must make witnessing a regular part of our lives. WE MUST NOT HOLD BACK AND BE A WOODEN CHRISTIAN!
III. PRACTICE WISELY
Col. 4:5-6 “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
ILL.- Delivering a speech at a banquet on the night of his arrival in a large city, a visiting minister told several anecdotes he expected to repeat at meetings the next day. Because he wanted to use the jokes again, he requested the reporters to omit them from any accounts they might turn in to their newspapers.
A cub reporter, in commenting on the speech, ended his piece with the following: "The minister told a number of stories that cannot be published."
We’ve all probably told a number of stories that cannot published or repeated, but it shouldn’t be this way. Or else we’ve all done some things that can’t be told.
John 2:1-2 “1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.”
ILL.- Max Lucado wrote, “Why would Jesus, on his first journey, take his followers to a party? Didn’t they have work to do? “Didn’t he have principles to teach? Wasn’t his time limited? How could a wedding fit with his purpose on earth?
“Why did Jesus go to the wedding? The answer? It’s found in the second verse of John 2. ‘Jesus and his followers were also invited to the wedding.’
“Why did they invite him? I suppose they liked him.
“Big deal? I think so. I think it’s significant that common folk in a little town enjoyed being with Jesus. I think it’s noteworthy that the Almighty didn’t act high and mighty. The Holy One wasn’t holier- than-thou.
“You just don’t get the impression that his neighbors grew sick of his haughtiness and asked, ‘Well, who do you think made you God?’ His faith made him likable, not detestable.”
WHAT ABOUT US? Do people like us? We must act wisely toward those who are on the outside of Christianity. This doesn’t mean to act like a wisecracker, comedian or clown. It means that we will exercise wisdom in dealing with people and that wisdom will be demonstrated in a good and likeable life.
I Pet. 2:15-17 “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.”
Peter is saying that when we live right we will silence the opposition. We will silence those who oppose Christ and Christianity. Our faith and works will shine and prove them wrong and at the same time we’ll be blessed.
I Pet. 3:8-9 “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
There it is…the blessing. Living right and in wisdom toward those who oppose Christianity will cause us to inherit a blessing. A part of that blessing will surely be victory in this life.
We must constantly mind our “p’s and q’s” in this world, at work, out in the world and no matter what we are doing.
CONCLUSION--------------------------------
ILL.- Do these ring a bell with you? Abbott and Costello. Martin and Lewis. Sonny and Cher. Amos and Andy. Barnum and Bailey. Batman and Robin. The Lone Ranger and Tonto. Burns and Allen. Laurel and Hardy. Lewis and Clark. Luci and Desi. Rodgers and Hammerstein. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Rowan and Martin. Simon and Garfunkel. Smith and Wesson. Starsky and Hutch. Tarzan and Jane. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Astaire and Rogers. Paul and Silas.
All these are famous pairs either in fact or fiction. But none of them would be what they were or are without the other. Truly, people complement one another or complete one another, help one another and make one another better, that is, if the pairing is good or great.
People draw strength from one another for life’s trials. What about Jesus and you?
Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Jesus has promised to be with us to the end of time and He has already overcome the world. If He experienced victory then we can draw strength from Him and also experience victory in life! Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world! WHAT A PAIR WE MAKE!
